29 June 2006

Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher has openly admitted plagiarising a Burt Bacharach hit for his B-side Half The World Away. The Lyla guitarist has often been accused of being too heavily influenced by The Beatles and T-Rex, but he has no qualms about revealing his pilfering of the Bacharach/Hal David composed song This Guy's In Love With You. He says, "It sounds exactly the same. I'm surprised he hasn't sued me yet."

27 June 2006

Rocker Bobby Gillespie credits Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher with persuading Primal Scream to return to a classic rock sound on their new album.

Primal Scream's latest album Riot City Blues has a completely different sound to the two albums, Xtrmntr and Evil Heat which preceded it.

Gillespie explains, "I'm happy that people still talk about (Primal Scream's 1991 album) Screamadelica. "Not so long ago I stayed up all night with Liam Gallagher and he was telling me how much he liked that record."He said, Xtrmnr and Evil Heat are all hate, Bob, but Screamadelica there's a lot of love on that record.' He was right.

"There's a lot of love on our new record, too, and Liam definitely influenced that."

22 June 2006

New Zealander Zane Lowe, was one of the top British music brass to be fooled by a bogus band on the myspace website.

British rock'n'roll bible Q pulled the stunt by persuading a work-experience student and two of his mates to become the band Hope Against Hope and a demo was downloaded onto the website.

Through myspace the band got in contact with Lowe, a DJ on Radio One and a music TV host who is one of the most influential people in British music.

Popular band the Editors also became "friends" with the band.

But it was music guru Alan McGee (the man who discovered Oasis) who was the biggest fish to bite when he offered the band a gig spot at his Death Disco club.

Q's deputy editor Gareth Grundy said, "You don't really expect you're going to get an offer of a gig from the man who signed Oasis for a band that doesn't exist. I'd call that quite a result."

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch recently bought myspace for $580 million and its power came to light when the site helped make the Arctic Monkeys' debut album the fastest-selling in British pop music history.

20 June 2006

Noel Gallagher made war not love at Sadie Frost's hippy birthday bash when she refused to turf out his ex missus Meg Mathews.The mouthy Manc, 39, was desperate to celebrate the foxy fashionista's 41st at Frostunbery -a flower power-themed bash at her London home.David Walliams, 34, Kate Moss, 32, Jummy Carr, 33 and Chris Evans, 40 were also among the invited.But Noel, who divorced Meg five years ago, didn't want to hug any trees with his ex. So he spentthe morning on the phone ordering the poor birthday girl to Kick Meg, 40 out so he could attend the big party.

But he got a Frosty reception from the designer, who said he wouldn't get any Champagne Supernova at her gaff after his outburst. Our Primrose Hill curtain twitcher said "Sadie was fuming, she is much closer to Meg than Noeland wouldn't put up with him dictating what she should do on her birthday at her own house". "It was him who had theproblem, not Meg. She didn't mind if he turned up. So Sadie told him he was no longer welcome at the party if he wasgoing to be childish about it".

And to teach the moody mono-browed one a lesson, she invited his little brother Liam, 33, instead. The Oasisfrontman is always happy to oblige when it comes to winding up his stroppy sibling. He turned up and posed for picturescuddling Meg to text to miffed Noel. Our mole said "Noel is seething and left a furious message on Liam's phone digging up the past and reminding him why he divorced Meg".

19 June 2006

Liam Gallagher is turning to Gwyneth Paltrow and a Kabbalah rabbi to help rid unwanted demons from his home. The Oasis frontman is said to be "concerned" after hearing sinister sounds and feeling "a presence".Liam 33, who lives with fiancee Nicole Apppleton and their son Gene is now seeking solace from Gwynnie, 33.She has top notch experience of tackiling things that go bump in the night. Earlier this year the screen siren who also lives in north London, had to call in the Ghostbusters to her home. An insider said: "Liam is concerned as he feels there is definitely some sort of presence in his house. "Not an evil feeling but definitely something that isn't quite right. Lately things have been going missing on a frequent basis without any explanation. " For example, a week ago he lost his keys and then they turned up in the kitchen cupboard and no-one had moved them, and now two pans have gone missing. "Sometimes he heard sounds that don't make any sense. "He will lie awake for hours listening for noises and he is sure he has heard footsteps on the stairs in the early hours of the morning, but when he has gone to investigate, there has been nothing there. He is just asking Gwenyth what she did so he can follow suit".In January this year Gwynnie called in a Kabbalah rabbi to help get rid of her demons. She felt "Bad Energy" in the home she shares with Coldplay frontman Chris Marti, 29 and their two tots Apple and Moses. Liam and All Saint singer Nicole, 31 are house hunting and hope to move to a a different part of London.In February Liams neighbours grew increasingly concerned about the noise he was making on his treadmill and to top it off he's now also dealing with spooky spirits. So its Definitely Maybe time to make a move mate.

18 June 2006

Patsy Kensit has plans to write an explosive autobiography - to the fury of her ex-husband Liam Gallagher.

In the past, the Emmerdale actress has always turned down offers to write about her life, however close friends now claim that she thinks the time is right to tell all."Liam hit the roof and is desperately trying to talk her out of it," one pal told the Sunday Mirror. "But Patsy thinks she should do it."Kensit was also previously married to 80s singers Jim Kerr and Dan Donovan.

Other ex-boyfriends include Ally McCoist, David Walliams and Jean-Christophe Novelli.

15 June 2006

Tamzin's face glows with happiness as she poses with her new husband Tom Ellis and their friends, rock star Liam Gallagher and his partner, former All Saint Nicole Appleton .

The former EastEnders actress' appearance, in a stunningly simple ivory gown from Mirror, Mirror, accessorised with a bouquet of arum lilies, made an unforgettable impression on the handsome groom, as well as their family and friends. Even ice cool rocker Liam Gallagher, who was among the host of famous faces on the guest list, was clearly touched.

14 June 2006

LONDON - The Oasis brothers are known for their insulting gestures, but a poster ad for Xfm Manchester showing a toddler dressed as Liam Gallagher sticking two fingers up has escaped a ban after it had been labelled 'offensive' by complainants to the advertising watchdog.

The poster features toddlers dressed as Noel and Liam Gallagher, with the Liam toddler, who is wearing tinted glasses and a hooded jacket, pictured holding two fingers up in a V-sign next to the tagline 'A new music station is born Xfm Manchester 97.7".

The younger Gallagher is well known for his use of various obscene gestures, mostly to photographers following him.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 23 complaints about the poster ad, which was created by Mother, making an obscene gesture that was offensive and was likely to encourage children to copy the sign.

However, the ad has escaped a ban because the ASA noted that the gesture of the toddler was synonymous with Liam Gallagher and anyone familiar with Oasis would realise that and were likely to find it humorous.

Xfm says it had not intended to cause offence and that the poster was part of a campaign to launch Xfm Manchester aimed at 20- to 29-year-old males.

The campaign appeared for one month in Manchester, home to the Gallagher brothers, and will be used for two weeks in Scotland to back Xfm Scotland.

The campaign includes six visuals of iconic bands, including the White Stripes and Pete Doherty, to demonstrate visually and in a lighthearted way that "a new music station is born", according to Xfm.

The radio station also says that the ad is based purely on humour and is unlikely to cause offence, provoke antisocial behaviour or encourage emulation.

9 June 2006

Kasabian's Tom Meighan: I Had A Mental Breakdown following the excesses of touring...

Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has revealed he suffered a mental breakdown after the excesses of touring over the past few years.Meighan said things came to a head when he returned home after their lengthy US jaunt with Oasis in 2005.

The 24-year-old said: I had a fucking mental breakdown after coming back home. I was scratching at the walls. I didnt know what to do.I was like a caged lion. It was horrible. All that partying and touring took a massive toll on my mind. In the candid interview with The Star, he continued that a break was essential to getting his head back in shape.He added: We needed a break to be honest. That last tour around America with Oasis was intense.It was fucking horrible coming back down to earth. We did so many shows over the last three years. We were like walking corpses, I dont think we could have pushed ourselves any further.It was really time to take a break and re-gear our brains. It was good to have a breather but I had forgotten how to do normal things. I didnt know how to sit down and watch Eastenders.

Oasis star Noel Gallagher is still stunned his album has topped the all-time favourites poll. He said: 'We never expected that. I have to admit I was chuffed. But for me, the best is still the Beatles.'

PROOF, if any were needed, that Liam Gallagher's wildman days are well and truly over.

The Champagne Supernova singer has been spotted enjoying a normal family holiday - on a luxury yacht off Mauritius, natch.

He even ditched the beers in favour of flutes of bubbly, canap?s and a smooch with his girlfriend Nicole Appleton. Ahh. Also with the 33-yearold Oasis frontman were his son Gene and mum Peggy on a holiday in the Indian Ocean. The boy's gone soft.

5 June 2006

British actress Helena Bonham Carter and boyfriend Tim Burton have lost a battle to stop the pub next to their London home opening late.

The pair wrote an angry letter to Camden Council after the The Sir Richard Steele pub applied for a later license, fearing the noise from late-night revellers would disturb their peace.The letter read, "If the hours are extended we fear that our quality of living is going to be severely hampered by even later noise as, of course, you have to bear in mind that it does not just finish once the pub doors close but long, long after. "

But the request was ignored and the pub - popular with other famous locals including Ewan Mcgregor and Noel Gallagher - will be allowed to open until midnight.

There is one reprieve for the couple - who have a two year old son Billy - the pub's bid for a live music license failed.

Even the Gallagher brothers would have to admit the album is not the greatest ever, writes Barry Divola.

LAST Saturday morning, the sky started filling with angry grey clouds, the wind began to roar and a thunderstorm threatened. I'd just read what 40,000 music fans had voted the greatest album of all time for the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, so I assumed that on some astral plane, John Lennon had just made a cup of tea, started buttering his toast, put on his glasses and read it, too.

And he wasn't turning off his mind, relaxing and floating downstream. He was one angry (albeit dead) ex-Beatle.

The great unwashed had not come up with Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver or The Beatles (better known as The White Album). They had not bestowed the honour on that other constant contender, Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys. They hadn't grunged out (Nirvana's Nevermind), punked it up (the Clash's London Calling), taken it easy ( Hotel California by the Eagles), pretended to be cooler than they really were (Kraftwerk? The Velvet Underground?) or rigged it for a laugh (the Knack? Flock of Seagulls?).

They hadn't even played the "well, it sold by the skipload so it must be the best" card by awarding the medal to Michael Jackson's Thriller, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, or something by Abba.

No, the greatest album of all time is apparently Oasis's Definitely Maybe. Presumably the entire poll was conducted outside pubs in Manchester and Bondi at closing time.

Definitely Maybe was definitely one of the 20 best albums of 1994. It was maybe one of the hundred best albums of the '90s. But even the Gallagher brothers, who are not renowned for their shyness when it comes to trumpeting their own worth, would have to hide their blushes and admit that calling their debut album the greatest of all time is a folly. Or, as Liam would have put it if Blur's Parklife had won, "total f---in' bollocks".

In fact, if you're weighing consistency, recognition, influence and just plain singalongability, Definitely Maybe isn't even the greatest Oasis album. It is full of swagger and vinegar and amazing confidence for a debut, and it does contain Rock 'n' Roll Star, Cigarettes and Alcohol and Live Forever. But the follow-up, 1995's (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, indisputably features their best-loved songs to this day - Don't Look Back In Anger, Some Might Say, Cast No Shadow, Champagne Supernova and every drunken Briton's national anthem, Wonderwall.

As for the band's longevity, their next album, 1997's Be Here Now, was a bloated monster of a thing that was the result of overblown egos and massive drug consumption. It is "the sound of a bunch of guys on coke in the studio not giving a f---". And that's not a critic talking - it's the opinion of Noel Gallagher. Still, Be Here Now is better than any of the three albums they've somehow squeezed out between arguments, sackings and divorces since then, despite the British music press cheerleading to the contrary with predictable and increasingly desperate calls of "return to form!"

Even Noel, in a rare moment of modesty, once admitted: "I pretty much summed up what I wanted to say in Rock 'n' Roll Star, Live Forever and Cigarettes and Alcohol. After that I'm repeating myself."

The Guinness World Records people also compile a more factual chart that lists the most successful artists of all time, based on how many weeks their singles and albums appeared in the British charts. Oasis comes in at No. 28 on that one. And sorry, but the Beatles only make it to No. 3. Elvis Presley tops the list, but No.2 is a real shock. It's not the Stones, not Madonna, not Michael Jackson, not U2, and not Elton John.

No, the second most successful artist of all time is Cliff Richard. What's even more frightening is the fact that his backing band, the Shadows, are at No. 7. No wonder people refer to the Guinness World Records. Suddenly I definitely (not maybe) feel like a stiff drink. And it's only 11am.

2 June 2006

It epitomised the Britpop phenomenon more than 10 years ago - and now Definitely Maybe, the Oasis debut, has been named the Greatest Album of All Time.

The album, which featured hits such as Live Forever and Supersonic, pushed the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band into second place in the poll of more than 40,000 music fans.

Another Beatles album, Revolver, came third, followed by Radiohead's OK Computer, and another Oasis release (What's the Story) Morning Glory? in fifth place.Up the Bracket, the 2002 debut by Pete Doherty's former band The Libertines, is the newest album in the top 20 in 15th place.

Nirvana's Nevermind, in sixth place, and The Strokes' Is This It, in 20th place, are the only two bands from the US to make the top 20.

The Stone Roses' self-titled album is seventh followed by Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, and The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead.

Radiohead's The Bends is next in the Top 100, followed by U2's The Joshua Tree.Definitely Maybe, which cost £85,000 to produce, was released on August 30 1994 and debuted at number one in the charts a week later.

The survey was organised by the book of British Hit Singles and Albums and NME.com and votes came from as far afield as New Zealand, Croatia and Colombia.Fans were given no pre-ordained list to chose from in the survey, to celebrate 50 years of the Official UK Albums Chart.